TO GOD THAT IS???
Your answers to the following question regarding many topics will help you determine the answer to this question:
(this is NOT just for NON-christians either or "bad" people for that matter)
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT...
MONEY?
If you think the money you have in your life is YOURS because you earned it or won it (or however you obtained it) then you are mistaken and DEAD to GOD. Anything you have in your life, inlcuding money, is in your life because HE gave it to you and HE can also take it away from you. If the thought, ITS MY MONEY AND I WILL SPEND IT THE WAY I WANT TO, comes to mind when you think about YOUR money, then you are DEAD to GOD. If you would rather spend your money on items of the world that you just want and dont need as opposed to bringing it back to your church (tithing) or helping those less fortunate or donating it to charities then you are DEAD to GOD. This can be that really "good" person you see in church every week just as easy as it could be that person you know never goes to church and is always buying clothes/jewlery/home decor that you know they dont NEED! Is this YOU?? Or when you think about your money do thoughts of the needy and the poor come to mind? Do you bring your money back to GOD every week, no matter how little or big that is? Do you think about how you can help out that family member or friend that is struggling or do you just go spend that money you could have blessed them with on another outfit or pair of shoes you wont wear because you have too many already?? Do you give a small donation monthy to help a child or family you have never met just so they can survive another month or not have to go to bed hungry? Are you buying a child or family, you have never met, Christmas gifts this year so they dont wake up to Christmas morning with nothing or are you buying your children and family more than they need or even want? If you answered YES to these questions then you are ALIVE to GOD!!
ANXIETY?
Do you worry about things and or people that you have no control over? Do you let your worry of these things/people stress you out, depress you or make you sick? If you do, then you are DEAD TO GOD! If you put your worry into the hands of GOD and let HIM deal with it all for you then you are ALIVE to GOD!
CONFLICT?
Are you a person that just because you may not agree or like the way someone else does something or lives their life you make that into a daily conflict between you and that person? You dont worry about making the conflicts in your life right, you live day to day with the same conflicts and even make them worse with your own tongue...IS THIS YOU? If so, YOU ARE DEAD TO GOD! Do you make conflict with with your husband/wife/child/friend just because you are in a bad mood and then never make it right because you dont have to? Your dead to God. If you try to make the conflicts in your life right and make your thought known and then pray for this conflict instead of making it worse then you are ALIVE TO GOD!
HEAVEN?
Do you believe there is really a heaven or just something talked about and used to make us be good...kind of like santa clause is used to make little boys and girls be good? Do you think about how great and wonderful heaven will be like when we get there or do you mock it? Do you live your life daily in hopes to get to heaven? Are you DEAD or ALIVE to GOD??
CHURCH?
Do you view Church has optional or a choice just depending on what else is going on that week? YES, then your dead to God. Do you let something or ANYTHING come before you making it to church weekly, (if not more) like a sporting event or school event or just anything?? If so, your dead to God. Are you one of those people that talk yourself into believing that its ok your not in church every week as long as you say your prayers daily?? Do you say every week, WE HAVE TO START GOING BACK TO CHURCH NO MATTER WHAT but never actually get there, you just keep making this statement weekly? OR do you look forward to church every week and know how important it is to be there week in and week out? Do you not give your children the option of going or not going but instead make it apart of your lives so they just know thats what you do? Or even when your children dont want to go YOU MAKE THEM! YES...then your ALIVE TO GOD! Do you plan your week around church because no matter what happens first and foremost you and your family will be in church and then the rest will happen when and if it can?? Or do you make your plans and then if and when you can make it to church you will and if not then you wont? Are you DEAD to God or ALIVE?? Do you put your childrens sports or school events before church? Do you put a party or television show before church? You are dead to Him. Im not saying sporting events and school events arent great and fun to go to and watch or that having a good party to go to is bad or a great television show is bad. All I am saying is put GOD, going to church and your bible first and foremost and above it all then let the rest follow.
BAPTISM?
Do you view this as THE most important decision you or your child will ever make in their life? If you do, then your ALIVE to God, if you dont, then you are DEAD to God! Has your child made the decision to live for GOD and you have done nothing about it?? Is it a passing thought wondering if you ever were baptized when you were younger but not important enough to really know that answer and even realize how important it is as an adult? Your DEAD to God. Do you think to yourself that you really want to be baptized but dont want to get all wet and mess your hair up...dead to God. OR does it take your breathe away when you hear of someone making this decision? Or does it bring a tear to your eye to see all the people stand up in church who made the decision then and there to be baptized right then! Can you barely old it together watching your son or daughter making the BEST DECISION that they will ever make in their lives? Do you pray for those who have not made this decision? If you answered YES to my last four questions then you are ALIVE to God!
PRAYER?
Is this just something you do when things are not going so good...when someone has been in an accident or has gotten sick? Then your dead to God. Do you only pray when you are asking for help from GOD or when you are angry with Him? Do you think the only time for prayers are at night and even then you fall asleep saying them? Then your dead to God. OR do you say your prayers daily, even many times a day. Do you thank and praise God as much as you ask for help or beg for his mercy?? Does praying to God put you at ease and make you happy? YOUR ALIVE TO HIM!
WORSHIP?
When you finally do make it to church are you constantly looking at your watch wondering when its going to be over or are you so into the worship and fellowship that you lose track of time? When you go to church are you texting or looking stuff up on your phone to waste time and make the time go by faster or are you so into the worship that you dont even know where your phone is?? Outside of church, do you have other ways you worship GOD or after that ONE hour each week you are done hearing about God and talking about GOD until the next week? Are you DEAD or ALIVE to God??
SINS?
Do you rate sins? Do you put sins on a scale and weigh which ones are bad and which ones are even worse? Do you judge other people for their sins even though you sin too and maybe even have or will do the exact same sin?? Do you think someone cheating on their husband/wife with 10 different people the whole time they have been married is any worse than someone cheating just ONE time on their husband/wife? Killing someone is a sin just as taking something that is not yours is and as much as lying is. A SIN IS A SIN! GOD does not rate them. We ALL are sinners and always will be which should be even more of a reason NOT to judge others for their sins no matter the sin! This means not to be judging TIGER WOODS for cheating on his wife with 10 different women starting before he was even married...you lie to your spouse everyday if you are doing and saying things behind his back that he will not ever know about...you looked at the person across the mall and judged them for the color of their skin or the clothes they had on. WE ALL FALL SHORT, WE ALL SIN and GOD VIEWS US ALL THE SAME, HE LOVES US ALL THE SAME no matter who you are, what color you are, what clothes you wear or what sin you have committed! I think a lot of us are DEAD TO GOD on this subject!
THE POOR?
Do you view the poor as people that deserve to be where they are? Are you so tired of hearing about the needy and the poor...I mean you have what you need, you dont go hungry, you children dont go to bed hungry, you have a roof over your head and a job and that is all that matters to you! YOUR ARE DEAD TO GOD! Do you sponsor a child or family that you dont know and may never know? Do you help local families that have less than you? Do you give to your local church so that they can help the needy and the poor? If you do these things then you are ALIVE TO GOD! Do you just not think about the needy and the poor as long as your not needy and poor, as long as you have food and you dont put your children to bed at night that are starving...COULD YOU EVEN IMAGINE!?!?
BIBLE?
So, you read novels and blogs and emails but not a bible. You put your novels, blogs and emails above the bible...YOUR DEAD TO GOD! Or do you have quite time every day to spend time in the Word and with God? YOUR ALIVE TO GOD! Im not saying reading your novel, your blogs or your emails are bad...just dont do them instead of having your time with your bible and God each day. Find a way to do it all but put the bible and your time with God FIRST then if and when you still have time for the rest, do it then!
SO, where are you? Are you dead to God or alive to God?
If you fall on the "DEAD TO GOD" side on all of these topics or most of these topics are you going to do anything about it? I hope so!! I hope you are not dead to God when he comes back for us all! And since we dont know when He is coming back you better get started right away! And since we dont know we will live to start tomorrow, you better start today! PLEASE DONT THINK YOU ARENT GOING TO DIE, WE ALL ARE and we dont know when! PLEASE DONT THINK YOU HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO GET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER...YOU DONT! I WANT US ALL TO BE IN HEAVEN WHEN THAT TIME COMES!! And the thing about it is, once you start going to church and talking to God and reading your bible and giving to others and your church THE MORE YOU WANT TO DO IT, THE MORE YOU LOOK FORWARD TO DOING IT!
I, too, have things on this list above I need to work on! I am not here to judge or look down on anyone not doing these things, I am just here to urge you to do them! The more you do these things the easier it is to live as GOD wants us to! I am just speaking from experience, I HAVE BEEN THERE!!
ARE YOU DEAD TO GOD OR ALIVE TO GOD?? I think it is something you really need to think about and then do whatever it is you need to do to BE ALIVE TO HIM! You are not doing this for anyone but yourself and maybe your family, if you have one. I know many of you reading this would give your own life for your husband/wife/children but you wont do what would benefit them the most...GO TO CHURCH, MAKE THEM GO TO CHURCH, PRAY, HELP OTHERS, GIVE TO THE NEEDY AND POOR, READ YOUR BIBLE...LET GOD BE ABOVE AND BEFORE IT ALL IN YOUR LIFE and then everything else will fall into place, I PROMISE but more importantly GOD PROMISES!
